Exodus 16 · Verse 4

Exodus 16:4

Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Exodus 16:4, King James Version

Exodus 16:4 in other translations

BSBThen the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions.
WEBThen the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
ASVThen said Jehovah unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not.
YLTAnd Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Lo, I am raining to you bread from the heavens--and the people have gone out and gathered the matter of a day in its day--so that I try them whether they walk in My law, or not;
DARBYThen said Jehovah to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather the daily need on its day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not.
BBEThen the Lord said to Moses, See, I will send down bread from heaven for you; and the people will go out every day and get enough for the day's needs; so that I may put them to the test to see if they will keep my laws or not.
WebsterThen said the LORD to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not.

What does Exodus 16:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. Then said the Lord unto Moses--Though the outbreak was immediately against the human leaders, it was indirectly against God: yet mark His patience, and how graciously He promised to redress the grievance. I will rain bread from heaven--Israel, a type of the Church which is from above, and being under the conduct, government, and laws of heaven, received their food from heaven also (Psa 78:24). that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no--The grand object of their being led into the wilderness was that they might receive a religious training directly under the eye of God; and the first lesson taught them was a constant dependence on God for their daily nourishment.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 I will rain bread - Therefore this substance was not a production of the desert: nor was the dew that was the instrument of producing it common there, else they must have had this bread for a month before.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 16:1-12

Chapter Outline The Israelites come to the wilderness of Sin. They murmur for food, God promises bread from heaven. (1-12) God sends quails and manna. (13-21) Particulars respecting the manna. (22-31) An omer of manna to be preserved. (32-36) Verses 1-12 The provisions of Israel, brought from Egypt, were spent by the middle of the second month, and they murmured. It is no new thing for the greatest kindness to be…

Read the full comment on Exodus 16:1-12 →

Exodus 16:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.ShehMosesH4872
הִנְנִ֨יhi.Nihere IH2005
מַמְטִ֥ירmam.Tir[am] about to rain downH4305
לָכֶ֛םla.Khemfor <the> you
לֶ֖חֶםLe.chembreadH3899
מִן\־min-fromH4480
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםha.sha.Ma.yimthe heavensH8064
וְיָצָ֨אve.ya.Tza'and it will go outH3318
הָעָ֤םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
וְלָֽקְטוּ֙ve.la.ke.Tuand they will gatherH3950
דְּבַר\־de.var-a matter ofH1697
י֣וֹםYoma dayH3117
בְּיוֹמ֔וֹbe.yo.Moin day itsH3117
לְמַ֧עַןle.Ma.'anso thatH4616
אֲנַסֶּ֛נּוּ'a.nas.Se.nuI should put to [the] test itH5254
הֲיֵלֵ֥ךְha.ye.Lekh¿ will it walkH1980
בְּתוֹרָתִ֖יbe.to.ra.Tiin law myH8451
אִם\־'im-or?H518
לֹֽא\׃Lo'notH3808

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 16:4

  • 1 Corinthians 10:3

    And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

  • Psalms 105:40

    The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

  • Deuteronomy 8:2

    And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

  • Psalms 78:24-25

    And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.

  • Deuteronomy 8:16

    Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

  • Exodus 15:25

    And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

  • Nehemiah 9:15

    And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

  • John 6:31-32

    Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

  • Matthew 6:11

    Give us this day our daily bread.

  • Proverbs 30:8

    Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

  • Nehemiah 11:23

    For it was the king’s commandment concerning them, that a certain portion should be for the singers, due for every day.

  • Luke 11:3

    Give us day by day our daily bread.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I will rain.
Ps 78:24,25; 105:40; Joh 6:31,32; 1Co 10:3
a certain rate every day. Heb. the portion of a day in hisday.
Ne 11:23; Pr 30:8; Mt 6:11,32,33; Lu 11:3
prove them.
15:25; De 8:2,16; Jos 24:15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 16:3

    And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

  • Exodus 16:4

    Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

  • Exodus 16:5

    And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

Read all of Exodus 16

Exodus 16:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y Jehová dijo á Moisés: He aquí yo os haré llover pan del cielo; y el pueblo saldrá, y cogerá para cada un día, para que yo le pruebe si anda en mi ley, ó no.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et l’ Éternel dit à Moïse: Voici, je vais vous faire pleuvoir des cieux du pain, et le peuple sortira, et en recueillera chaque jour la portion d’un jour, afin que je l’éprouve, pour voir s’il marchera dans ma loi, ou non.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Da sprach Jehova zu Mose: Siehe, ich werde euch Brot vom Himmel regnen lassen; und das Volk soll hinausgehen und den täglichen Bedarf an seinem Tage sammeln, damit ich es versuche, ob es wandeln wird in meinem Gesetz oder nicht.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Dixit autem Dominus ad Moysen: Ecce ego pluam vobis panes de cælo: egrediatur populus, et colligat quæ sufficiunt per singulos dies: ut tentem eum utrum ambulet in lege mea, an non.